Top four in books: Bachelor, Kids, Boy and Bird

Harper Lee may have written the most widely read American novel ever, but little is known about the author herself. Shields set out to paint a whole picture of Harper Lee, using information from more than 400 interviews he conducted with the people who knew her best.

The eligible bachelor of the title is Guy Portias, the heir to Eversleigh Manor, who has just gotten engaged to Richenda Fox, the hot star of England’s most popular TV series. With Eversleigh Manor in need of repairs, Guy’s mother decides to hold “Country House Weekends” at the manor in order to raise money. When she hires Honor McLean to assist her, Guy finds it difficult to keep his mind on his fiancé, making this novel a charming love story.

24-Karat Kids

Author: Dr. Judy Goldstein and Sebastian Stuart

Publisher H.B. Fenn and Company Ltd.

Price: $29.95, HC

Co-written by one of Manhattan’s leading pediatricians, 24-Karat Kids tells the story of Dr. Shelley Green, newly hired by Madison Pediatrics on New York’s Upper East Side. She quickly becomes known for her excellent way with children and her superior skills at diagnosing their problems. Shelley is swept into a world of designer clothes and weekends in the Hamptons — something her fiancé Arthur, doesn’t understand — making this novel a satirical look into the lives of New York’s elite families.

Mockingbird: A Portrait Of Harper Lee

Author: Charles J. Shields

Publisher: H.B. Fenn and Company Ltd.

Price: $34, HC

Harper Lee may have written the most widely read American novel ever, but little is known about the author herself. Shields set out to paint a whole picture of Harper Lee, using information from more than 400 interviews he conducted with the people who knew her best. This is a fascinating read for Lee fans who always wanted to know more about this former Alabama tomboy who changed the face of American fiction.

Seminary Boy

Author: John Cornwell

Publisher: Doubleday

Price: $32.95, HC

Acclaimed writer John Cornwell shares his childhood and adolescent experiences in his memoir, Seminary Boy. Born to a dominating Irish-Catholic mother and an absentee father in London, England, Cornwell chose to attend Cotton College, a seminary in the West Midlands when he was 13 years old. For the next five years, Cornwell remained sheltered from the outside world inside a world of prayer and study. This honest memoir is a heart-breaking account of a young boy’s struggle to survive the strict disciplines of a seminary.